From this generic Spanish ICATT version, a national adaptation for Peru was prepared in 2009 and because Peru already had experience in training health workers with the Spanish ICATT version, it was decided that the Peruvian ICATT adaptation would be used for a trial ICATT distance learning course which was conducted in October/November 2009 in the Tupac Amaru area of Lima, Peru. A total of 35 participants (17 doctors and 18 nurses) who had not been trained in IMCI from 17 health centres of whom 22 finished the course started the training in 3 groups. In February 2010 a follow-up visit of the course participants have been organized to assess the results and quality of training.
The three groups, after the initial encounter with the course organizers and the last encounter in which the post-test was given had the following characteristics:
Group A: one clinical practice encounter after about 1.5 week
Group B: two clinical practice encounters after about 1.5 and 3 weeks
Group C. No encounter between initial en last encounter
About 6 weeks after the finalization of the courses a follow-up after training visit was conducted. The cost per participant of the materials used during the courses was about US$ 12, - including a chart booklet and an ICATT DVD. More details can be found in a full report prepared by the course organizers in Spanish.
In summary ICATT was seen as a powerful new tool to teach IMCI in Peru, both in pre-and in-service settings. The great advantages were:
- Fact that trainees can select their own pace going through the course
- Educational effect of the audio/video materials in ICATT
- Easy of navigation in ICATT, the very positive effect on learning by the sequence of the Read, See, Exercise and Test parts in each training unit of ICATT
Reduced cost of the course materials and the possibility for the trainees and the facilitators to monitor progress of each trainee.